A Truce's Storm
by Th Ghst f Slss Frnc
Summary: This story follows the clans long after Firestar's time. The four clans have waned, and the last standing leader has decided that they must form a truce that will last, until every clan is back on their paws, or they will all be destroyed. Unfortunately, good intentions can lead to bad places, and surely troubles will come before the clans triumph, if they even can.
1. Allegiances

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Obviously.

* * *

ALLEGIANCES

Thunderclan

Warriors

(S) Brindlefang-43 moons-brown tabby she-cat  
Apprentice: Nettlepaw  
(S) Whitefur-44 moons-white tom  
Eaglefeather-30 moons-large golden brown tom  
Apprentice: Emberpaw  
Fernleaf-29 moons-small, cream-and-white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices

Nettlepaw-8 moons-black she-cat  
Emberpaw-7 moons-dark ginger tom

Notes: Brindlefang + Whitefur. Eaglefeather + Fernleaf.

Legend: (S) equals senior warrior, + means mates, means first cat likes second cat, means both cats like each other, ? equals unknown ancestor, (d) means deceased, = means progeny, (+) means secret mates, and /+/ equals fake mates.

/

Shadowclan

Medicine Cat

Duskflower-72 moons-elderly dark brown she-cat

Warriors

(S) Fogfang-52 moons-pale silvery tom with one hooked tooth  
Apprentice: Sootpaw  
Hailstep-25 moons-large dark gray tom with white patches  
Apprentice: Mothpaw  
Rookwing-19 moons-sleek black tom  
Sloefur-18 moons-black she-cat

Apprentices:

Sootpaw-7 moons-smoky dark gray tom  
Mothpaw-6 moons-fuzzy, mottled pale brown she-cat

Queens

Ivyfrost-white she-cat with tortoiseshell patches

Notes: Fogfang + ? = Hailstep. Ivyfrost + Hailstep. Sloefur Hailstep.

/

Riverclan

Warriors

(S) Blue-eye-48 moons-white she-cat with one blue eye  
Mudfur-40 moons-brown tom  
Apprentice: Goosepaw  
Pebblepelt-24 moons-pretty, mottled gray she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices

Goosepaw-10 moons-white tom

Queens

Willowtail-32 moons-russet tabby she-cat with green eyes, mother to (3 moons) Reedkit (pale cream tom) and Barkkit (mottled brown-tabby-and-ginger she-cat).

Notes: Mudfur + Willowtail = Reedkit and Barkkit. Blue-eye + ? = Goosepaw. Goosepaw Pebblepelt.

/

Windclan

Leader

Goldenstar-64 moons, 2 lives left-elderly golden tabby she-cat with white underbelly and amber eyes

Deputy

Tawnyclaw-35 moons-dark ginger she-cat with yellow eyes  
Apprentice: Grasspaw

Warriors

Iceclaw-34 moons-white she-cat  
Spottedfur-26 moons-golden she-cat with black spots  
Apprentice: Honeypaw  
Deerflight-24 moons-long-legged, pale brown she-cat with white underbelly (mentor: Tawnyclaw)  
Windwhisker-12 moons-pale gray tom with long whiskers (mentor: Deerflight)

Apprentices

Honeypaw-10 moons-ginger she-cat  
Grasspaw-7 moons-golden brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Notes: Goldenstar + ? = Spottedfur. Sparrowheart (d) + ? = Windwhisker, Shadekit, and Breezekit. Iceclaw + Sam = Honeypaw. Windwhisker Honeypaw.


	2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE  
Windclan

_Great Starclan, this is all that's left?_

Windwhisker looked around the clearing. The island seemed almost bare. He'd been to the island every full moon since he became an apprentice, so six times, and every time the number of cats had seemed to shrink, but never as drastically as now.

He thought back on all the cats he'd known in Windclan that had died: his sister, Shadekit, and his brother, Breezekit; his mother, Sparrowheart; the elders, Julie and Poppyheart; both the medicine cat, Berryfrost, and her apprentice, Beachpelt; and the former deputy, Rabbitfoot. He also knew other warriors and an apprentice or two had died, but he hadn't known them well.

He looked around at the cats that stood for Windclan and finally his heart began to sink, chill like ice was forming on it. Had Starclan abandoned them? He shook his head, closing his eyes tightly. No, he couldn't think like that. He was a warrior now. He had to be strong. He tried to think of positives. It's what he'd been forced to do all his life.

He looked to Honeypaw first. She'd be a warrior in two moons, and the golden-eyed, ginger she-cat looked as peaceful and content as always. He wondered how she did it. She was his best friend and, he had to admit, he liked her as more than that. She sat far away from him, however. She sat with her mentor, the leader's daughter, Spottedfur, and the only other apprentice Windclan had, Grasspaw, another she-cat. Spottedfur seemed to be murmuring to Honeypaw, but he couldn't make out the words. Grasspaw's mentor, the new deputy, Tawnyclaw, sat beside Goldenstar at the base of the tree that had once held four, vibrant leaders. Now no cat sat on any of its branches. Goldenstar was still weak from the life she'd lost to green cough, just a few days ago, and she couldn't manage the jump. She was getting old, too. He didn't know how many lives she had left, but he worried she was running low on them. He then looked to the remaining cats of his clan. The remaining cats of his clan were one pair of cats, two she-cats. His old mentor, Deerflight, who sat to his left, and Iceclaw, Honeypaw's mother, who sat to Deerflight's left. Both of them were stony eyed and their tails flicked nervously. Deerflight's claws kneaded at the grass. He couldn't blame them for their agitation. He gave Deerflight an understanding look.

No one was quite sure what was happening tonight. Last meeting, Riverclan's leader had still been alive, Eveningstar, an elderly black tom whose long fur had been matted and whose eyes had been foggy. Now he wasn't here. Eveningstar hadn't been the best leader. Windwhisker had been told by Iceclaw at one clan meeting that, when Eveningstar was young, he was as cruel as any villain he'd been told about as a kit.

Windwhisker looked at what remained of Riverclan. He knew their queen, Willowtail, hadn't been to a meeting for three moons, and he knew that two warriors normally stayed with her. Today, Mudfur, the Riverclan deputy, and Blue-eye were here, and no other cat. He supposed Pebblepelt and Goosepaw, Mudfur's apprentice and Blue-eye's son, had to be back at their camp then. His ears flicked and he wondered at that. He knew all Riverclan's cats except Willowtail's kits by name.

With that thought in mind Windwhisker's mind, Goldenstar cleared her throat and his ears automatically pricked. He saw the same happen with basically every cat in the clearing.

"Before any cat asks, I do not intend to take all clans as mine. How could I?" She let out a small, deep chuckle. "Tonight is a truce, and I hope we can use that to our advantage. The clans are all weak."

Of course, a Shadowclan cat piped up with, "Speak for yourself!"

Windwhisker pinpointed the cat in the crowd and met the cat's eye. It was Sootpaw. Sootpaw caught Windwhisker's eye and then started licking his chest fur, clearly alarmed at being picked out of the throng. Windwhisker rolled his eyes.

"I am the only cat who has a star after their name at this point," Goldenstar continued, "but I hope it should not remain this way. I know Shadowclan currently has the only trained medicine cat, Duskflower. My feelings for this are the same for my feelings about being the only leader when there are four clans. We are weak. We are scattered. We need to work together. I know this will be hard on everyone, but every clan needs a leader, needs a deputy, needs a medicine cat. A clan needs warriors and apprentices. A clan needs queens and elders."  
Goldenstar paused and drew herself up to her full height. For once, Windwhisker felt somewhat impressed with the old she-cat. Beside her, Tawnyclaw looked even fiercer than normal.  
"I propose that the truce stays."

"You propose the truce stays?" Duskflower, Shadowclan's medicine cat, asked hoarsely.

"Yes," Goldenstar replied. "I suppose we truly work together. Our cats should be allowed to cross borders. We should share herbs and fresh-kill. We should work to bring our clans back from the brink, rather than wither away alone."

"There are four clans for a reason, Goldenstar," Mudfur meowed, "but I can understand your position." He looked to Duskflower. "You would train an apprentice in every clan?"

"To my best ability," Duskflower replied with no pause, as if that had been her exact plan.

Windwhisker wondered if Goldenstar had talked to her before the meeting, or at the previous one.

A Shadowclan cat growled. "This is outrageous."  
Windwhisker noted it was Hailstep, a burly gray tom. Luckily, Fogfang was his father, and the most senior warrior in the clan. Windwhisker noticed Fogfang put his tail on his son's shoulder and his son looked down, apparently cowed. Afterward, the older, paler tom stepped forward and walked towards where Goldenstar sat. Duskflower followed him.

Mudfur came forward, and so did Blue-eye.

The Thunderclan cats looked amongst themselves for a moment. Brindlefang, a brown tabby she-cat, got to her paws. She touched noses with her mate, Whitefur, and then told him something. Shortly thereafter, Eaglestrike, a much younger tom, followed her up to the union of cats.  
Windwhisker watched closely, a feeling like hope rising in his chest and burning away the cold.

"Each clan will retain a leader and deputy?" Mudfur asked.

"Yes," Goldenstar meowed. "If you wish, you may make your choices back at your camp, and we can convene here tomorrow."

"We can convene here again tomorrow, but we have made our choice," Brindefang meowed. "We wondered if it would come to this. We accept your proposition." She glanced back over her shoulder at Whitefur before she turned back to Goldenstar. "I will travel to Moonpool, and my deputy will be Eaglestrike."

"I will travel to Moonpool," Mudfur meowed, "my deputy will be Blue-eye."

Fogfang shared a look with Duskflower, and then  
Duskflower nodded curtly.

Fogfang then meowed, "I will travel to Moonpool. Sloefur will be my deputy."

There was a gasp on the Shadowclan side, and from a few cats of the other clans.

Everyone had expected him to say Hailstep. That much was clear.

Windwhisker sought out the cat in mention, and was surprised to see a black she-cat come from the Shadowclan side that was hardly older than he. Her tail was low and her eyes wide, but she walked over with an even step and came to sit by Fogfang.

"Then it is done," Goldenstar said, pleasure in her mew.

"I have something to say," Duskflower meowed.  
Goldenstar paused and tilted her head. "What is it, Duskflower?"

"The cats I train to be medicine cats should not be burdened by the rule of not taking a mate or kits. They should be trained as warriors as well. I believe that Starclan would not object. I also suggest that cats from different clans should be allowed to have more than friendship."

Even Fogfang looked surprised.

Goldenstar merely nodded. "Go to Moonpool with Mudfur, Brindlefang, and Fogfang and ask. Until then, the warrior code and medicine cat code stay as is." There was a bite to her voice.

Duskflower merely met Goldenstar's eye with no fear. "The code have been changed before, Goldenstar."

Windwhisker gulped. He merely hoped it wouldn't be changed _too_ much.

***

The stones and sand alongside the lake were cold under paw and the wind came across the expanse of moonlit lake and moor without yield, buffeting all Windclan and Thunderclan cats' fur. Windwhisker walked alongside Honeypaw and Grasspaw, the three of them bringing up the rear. Tawnyclaw and Deerflight were in the lead. Goldenstar was in the middle of the group, leaning slightly to her right on her daughter, Spottedfur. To Goldenstar's left was Iceclaw.  
Windwhisker wondered how the Thunderclan cats saw this, Windclan obviously terrified for an attack on their old leader. He wondered why the other warriors were so obviously afraid. Thunderclan only had four warriors and two apprentices. For once, Windclan outnumbered them-and Windclan was even at Thunderclan's back, so why were they so worried?  
Windwhisker felt a slight unease grow in his gut. Thunderclan had been Windclan's friend for a long time. According the stories he'd been told as a kit, Thunderclan and Windclan had at one time become Lionclan and stood against Tigerclan.

Maybe everyone was just afraid tonight. Leaf-fall was ending and leaf-bare was beginning. Goldenstar was weak, and their clan was small. All the clans were small. With the four clans standing together, maybe they'd survive leaf-bare. Maybe all four clans would.

Maybe they were just scared of all that would go wrong, like he was.

"I think I'll ask Duskflower to train me," Honeypaw meowed, shocking Windwhisker out of his thoughts.

His fur almost stood on end. "But what if Starclan denies Duskflower's request? Don't you want to someday want to have a mate and kits?"

Immediately after asking, he felt like a mouse-brain. Honeypaw had always been a friendly, pleasant, and caring cat. She'd probably make a good, if not great, medicine cat. Grasspaw was always tense, sharp-tongued, and often agitated, a great hunter but with little patience for her fellow cat.

Nonetheless, all of that only made Windwhisker like Honeypaw more. He knew he had to wait two moons before he could be upfront about it again. Honeypaw and him had been great friends as apprentices and had a mutual crush, but he was older and had become a warrior. Despite their close age, it wasn't a good thing for a warrior to have anything romantic to do with an apprentice. It was unseemly.

It was also why he most certainly didn't want her to become a medicine cat. Together they would be fine mates. Together they could have kits born into Windclan, so when the truce was over they wouldn't have to decide which clan to betray.

He knew they were young, but he was certain he loved her. He'd never cared for a cat as much as her.

"Well, I know I won't be volunteering to go,"  
Grasspaw muttered under her breath.

"Grasspaw," Honeypaw meowed, tail flicking in annoyance, "you shouldn't say things like that. Don't you want to do what's best for the clan?"

Grasspaw stopped and flexed her claws. "I want to be a warrior, not some stodgy medicine cat stuck with their nose in herbs all day."

Windwhisker almost ran into Iceclaw before he realized the white she-cat had stopped. He quickly froze, not wanting to anger the she-cat.

In fact, the whole patrol had stopped. Goldenstar was completely turned now, Spottedfur giving her some room.

"Grasspaw, you will go with Honeypaw to learn what Duskflower wishes to teach at the island tomorrow night," Goldenstar meowed croakily.

Grasspaw nodded, even as her claws tore at the sand beneath her paws and her ears flickered. Honeypaw only dipped her head respectfully.

"Neither of you must be the medicine cat," Goldenstar continued, "but you both need learn how to act like one. You will still receive your warrior training as well, and, if you wish, you shall become warriors when the time arises. If either of you wishes to become Windclan's medicine cat instead, so be it. Starclan willing, a kit will be born that will wish to be medicine cat, and then you two can pass your knowledge onto he or she once he or she is of age."

With that, Goldenstar turned slowly and leaned back onto Spottedfur.

Grasspaw didn't look happy, but her mentor,  
Tawnyclaw, gave her a sharp look and Grasspaw had the decency to drop her eyes down to the beach.

Windwhisker yawned and noted that Thunderclan's cats were almost out of view.

"Do you suppose Mudfur is going to Moonpool tonight?" Honeypaw asked quietly.

"I don't know," Windwhisker meowed, "possibly?"

He wondered how soon Tawnyclaw would have to go to Moonpool. He shivered.


End file.
